"It is Not Spiritual": Former Ghana Defender on Black Stars Struggles
- Habib Mohammed, Ghana's 2006 World Cup star, has blamed the lack of preparations for the Black Stars' AFCON qualifiers struggle
- The Black Stars sit third in Group F of the qualifiers and are set to miss the tournament in Morocco next year
- Ghana has not missed the Africa Cup of Nations since 2004 and will face Angola and Niger in their final two matches
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Former Ghana defender, Habib Mohammed has rejected claims that the Black Stars' problems are spiritual.
The four-time African champions are on the brink of missing the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, the first time in 20 years, after a poor run in the qualifiers.
In 2024, the Black Stars have won only two matches, making it one of the worst runs in the history of the country's football.
Source: Getty Images
Some Ghanaian football followers and even former players have attributed the Black Stars' struggles to spirituality.
However, Mohammed, who played for the Black Stars at the 2006 World Cup, believes lack of proper preparation has been the bane of the current team.
“Football is all about preparation, determination and what you want to achieve as a team. If you have all these, you can succeed as a team,” he told Kessben FM, as quoted by Ghana Soccernet.
“You can attach spiritual matters to the game but for me, everything depends on the mentality of players. People think is spiritual but for Black Stars to succeed, it’s all about preparation and determination during matches.”
The Black Stars will face Angola and Niger in Sudan in their final two matches in the qualifiers, per ESPN.
Ghana's struggles in 2024
It all started at the Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast early this year, when the team failed to win a single game and were eliminated at the group stage.
The led to the sacking of Chris Hughton as coach with Otto Addo returning for a second spell.
In two friendlies in March, the Black Stars lost to Nigeria and drew with Uganda in Addo's first two matches in 2024. The team provided Ghanaians with a glimmer of hope with back-to-back wins in the World Cup qualifiers in June.
Ghanaians were hoping the team would build on those performances only to go through the next four matches in the AFCON qualifiers without a win.
Ghana drops in FIFA ranking
Earlier, Yen.com.gh reported that the Black Stars of Ghana have dropped in the latest FIFA Coca-Cola rankings for October.
The four-time African champions have moved three places down following a poor run of results in the month.
Ghana remains winless in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, losing and drawing in October's games against Sudan.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
